Digimon Frontier: Return To The Digital World

by sithlorde1988

A follow-up to Digimon Frontier set five years after the events of Digimon Frontier. After a short-lived peace following Lucemon's defeat at the end of Digimon Frontier, the remaining Deadly Digimon are awakened and swear revenge. When they strike, the Celestial Digimon summon the Warriors back. Better summary, details and more in first chapter! Rated M to be safe. Read and Review!

1. Return of the Deadly! Legend Continues

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with a new story I wasn't initially going to start just yet, but then the idea got in my head and kept bugging me until I finally decided to just go ahead and get it started since I kept having ideas for it come to me so I figured I'd get a start on it while I have some relative muse for it. I apologize ahead of time since I've not watched Digimon Frontier in a few years so my knowledge of the characters may be just a TAD rusty but I'll do my best to keep them as in character as I can possibly manage, though I won't promise that there won't be at least a few occasional bursts of OOC moments for some of them. That being said, before I forget let's do the disclaimer now so it's done and over with!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own Digimon in any way shape or form (be it the show or the games or any other form of Digimon media) nor does he own any of the characters that appear in this story aside from the handful of OCs that will be added in over the course of the story, which are OCs I created and therefore DO own to some extent. Otherwise, those who DO own Digimon know who they are and all credit for owning it belongs to them!

And now that THAT is out of the way, I will go ahead and state right now that this isn't a re-write of Digimon Frontier, but rather a 'sequel' of sorts set several years after the end of Digimon Frontier, meaning the characters will be older as a result so let me go ahead and post the ages for the characters involved now, including the OCs that will appear over the course of the story, of which I believe I had planned on using four separate OCs (if you don't recognize a name in the list below then it's an OC unless I note otherwise) depending on how I handle a certain plot point that I won't go into now for spoiler prevention reasons, but I'll just list them all to cover the off chance that all the planned OCs do appear at least once in the story. Here's the characters' ages:

Tommy/Shinya (aka Takuya's little brother): 14-15 (I forget if Tommy was stated to be 9 or 10 in Digimon Frontier but I believe it was implied he and Shinya are meant to be the same age if my memory serves me correctly)

Koji/Takuya/Zoe/Sorina/Avril/Lumine/Koichi: 16

J.P./Kusa: 17

So yeah there's a rough frame of reference for their ages, based on the little bit of research I've managed to do while typing up this chapter. That being said, I will go ahead and confirm up-front that romance will to some extent be present in this story, though I'm going to try and keep it as a secondary plot point where I can unless the plot decides otherwise.

But for the purposes of things, I will state up-front that the pairings are (note that these are subject to change still but are for now what I've decided on) as follows: TakuyaXSorina, KojixLumine, ZoexKusa and a couple others that I won't list now since I do want to have there be SOME surprises and the other two are likely going to not really be important to the plot and likely won't get much mention if any until nearer the end of the fic.

I will be nice and say now that one of the other two will probably be a yaoi (guyxguy) pairing but won't be revealed until nearer the end of the fic, but let's say it's not one most would expect given the two involved didn't really get to interact in Digimon Frontier, so yeah. Now without further ado, let me get into the first chapter before I get too distracted with this A/N to get the story started! Let the first chapter begin!

DIGIMON FRONTIER: RETURN TO THE DIGITAL WORLD

Chapter 1: The Legend Continues! Return of the Seven

(Unknown location, neutral POV)

"So, after all this time, we're finally free of our imprisonment. Go figure it'd take most of the Digital World being destroyed to do it. At least Lucemon called that much correctly, even if he did make the fool's error of underestimating those accursed Legendary Warriors one too many times. Sure, he destroyed the Warrior of Darkness, but not before said warrior enabled the others to unite and destroy him. And because of that, our leader is now no more.

As such, though I was hoping to never have to do this again, I suppose I must once more assume the mantle of leadership for what remains of us Deadly Digimon. Do we all agree, or are there any objections? If so, speak now." A feminine voice could be heard addressing the group of masculine figures gathered before her. At first, no one spoke up, until one voice finally spoke up, not really wanting to, but seeing that no one else was going to, speaking in a dry tone that conveyed their reluctance to be speaking up like this.

"You know full well we all agree with you taking up the post of leader, Lilithmon, but we have to be smart about this. If you step up, that means we have to restructure the rest of the chain of command accordingly. And as you might well recall, we never did settle the question of third in command technically between Barbamon and I, even if I did defeat him the last time he challenged me for the spot. So as such, I don't know that I would be wise to make myself second-in-command on that basis, though if I have to, I will take the spot." One of the masculine figures addressed the lone female of the group, now revealed to be named Lilithmon. Lilithmon stroked her cheek contemplatively before replying to the male that had spoken, ignoring the huff from another of the males, a bearded male with a staff who glared at the male that had spoken up.

"I understand your concerns, Beelzemon. But you earned your third-in-command spot fair and square that day, and Barbamon isn't always the most trustworthy, or need I bring up the time he made that power play to try and usurp you for third-in-command? That said, I trust you a great deal. While you do have the tendency of doing your own thing a lot of the time, when the chips are down you've proven your loyalty to our cause time and again, which is why I would trust no one else with the spot of second-in-command but you. Granted, that means that Barbamon finally gets the third-in-command spot he's been eyeing for so long since he makes it to more meetings than Creepymon, Leviamon and Belphemon do combined. However, to Creepymon's credit, he's not much of a team player but he makes up for that with his raw power. So I hope you'll humor me by accepting my request to become my second-in-command. Will you do me that honor, Beelzemon?" Lilithmon said to the now-named Beelzemon who sighed but nodded.

"Very well, if I must. But hopefully this will be the last time we have to re-structure our chain of command for quite awhile, Lilithmon! But I think for now, our first plan of attack should be to move to destroy the fools called Bokomon and Neemon to strike a revenge blow on those accursed Legendary Warriors. Granted, I don't think the Legendary Warriors are still in the Digital World anymore given that Lucemon's overall destruction was said to have been achieved in the human world so it's entirely possible they stayed there after that.

That said, if we can stop the Legendary Warriors from rising back up, there should be nothing stopping us from not only taking over the Digital World as is our given right, but finding and hopefully restoring Lucemon to his former glory so he can retake his rightful place at our head as our true leader. For now though, you're a fine choice to succeed him." Beelzemon said to Lilithmon who stroked her chin thoughtfully before speaking back up with a smile.

"I do like that idea, Beelzemon. This is why I named you my second-in-command. As for the rest of the group, we can have them searching various parts of the Digital World for Lucemon as well as trying if possible to find any of the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors that we can so we can possibly try to do what that utter imbecile Cherubimon failed to do by corrupting the Legendary Warriors to do OUR bidding and thus be our enforcers in the Digital World. What better form of revenge than to have the very force that took our leader away from us be the very force that brings the Digital World to its knees once more as we re-assert our dominance of everything?

Go, my friends! Go forth and scatter to try and find the Spirits! If you can find either Bokomon and Neemon, all the better!" Lilithmon said, laughing maniacally as the remaining Deadly Digimon dispersed to do as Lilithmon instructed. Leviamon, the lone beast Digimon of the Deadly Digimon, slinked off with Belphemon, the most demonic of the Deadly Digimon, slumbering peacefully on his back. At the same time, the other three males split off in different directions to do various tasks, leaving Lilithmon alone as she stared at a photo of Lucemon.

"Soon, Lucemon...soon we'll avenge your demise and make the name of the Deadly Digimon feared once more as we were so long ago...and hopefully we'll be able to bring you back to your former glory as well." Lilithmon said in an almost sad tone as she gently kissed her fingers and placed them onto the forehead of the Lucemon in the picture.

"As for our enemies, they may have earned a peace of sorts for now, but in time they shall rue their impudence. Oh yes, they shall very much rue it. Mwehehehehe..." Lilithmon said evilly, cackling to herself as she thought of the revenge she so longed to enact on the Digital World, unaware of the figures fleeing the gathering area that had heard everything, and knew they had to act fast if they were to have any chance at saving the Digital World...

(Meanwhile, at that same time, at the rebuilt lair of the Celestial Digimon, still neutral POV)

"I don't know about the two of you, but I for one am glad we're finally back in our Mega forms. It's been so long since we were last in these forms, and we're even all in our purest forms." The lone female of the Celestial Digimon said, smiling at her two companions, who nodded their agreement even as the beast Digimon slightly hung his head, making the other male smile at him before giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder before speaking up.

"I agree with you, Ophanimon. And Cherubimon, please don't keep beating yourself up for what you did while under Lucemon's influence before. You did the right thing in the end even if you had to sacrifice yourself in the end to help the Legendary Warriors achieve the power needed to stop those corrupted Knights that Lucemon recruited to destroy the Digital World in order to free him. And both Ophanimon and I have forgiven you for that. You came to your senses in the end, my friend. So please cheer up." The male angel Digimon said to the now-named Cherubimon who smiled as he nodded his acknowledgement of the male angel's words not seeing Ophanimon, the lone female of the trio, also smiling at both males fondly before he spoke up to the male angel.

"I know you're right, Seraphimon. But at the same time, I can't help but blame myself. If I had tried harder to resist helping Lucemon, maybe we could have prevented the Royal Knights from being summoned to help Lucemon. Plus I didn't help matters when I corrupted half of the Legendary Warriors, making their spirits into darkened versions of themselves. I know in the end, the Darkness spirits were purified but I never saw the spirits of Wood, Steel, Water and Earth get purified. So I have to accept responsibility for my part in those events." Cherubimon said to the now-named Seraphimon as he and Ophanimon exchanged looks at this before Ophanimon smiled at Cherubimon and Seraphimon as she then spoke up, smiling as she spoke even knowing how much her words could be a bit stressful to hear.

"You raise an excellent point, Cherubimon. However, I saw to it that the spirits were once again scattered once the previous Warriors returned to their home world. If anything, at this point, we'll just have to summon them back if needed to fight once more and hopefully keep the Digital World safe. As for the remaining corrupted spirits, I had to use a bit more of my power, but they should be purified, provided the four that get the corresponding D-Tectors can find them first. So there is a bit of risk present there, but I think it's an acceptable risk. Do you not agree?" Ophanimon said to Cherubimon and Seraphimon who blinked but nodded.

"I can see your point, but I think perhaps some direct guidance early on might be needed like the first time we summoned the spirit wielders to this place to take up the mantle of being the Legendary Warriors." Seraphimon pointed out, making Ophanimon nod as Cherubimon spoke up at that point.

"I agree with Seraphimon. However, before we can discuss much else, I sense we have company." Cherubimon said, as right at that moment both Bokomon and Neemon came running in, fearful and terrified wide-eyed looks on their faces as they turned to the Celestial Digimon. Ophanimon looked down at the two before speaking up in a worried tone.

"What's the matter, you two? You look like you've been running for your lives from something fearful." Ophanimon asked as Bokomon nodded.

"We DID run for our lives. We were about to be caught and eaten by demons." Neemon said in a slightly derpy sounding voice, making Bokomon facepalm before pulling back the waistband on Neemon's red pants, and snapping it back, making Neemon yelp slightly as Bokomon speak up.

"Quite your inane prattling, Neemon!" Bokomon scolded Neemon before turning to the surprised Celestial Digimon trio and speaking up once more.

"Apologies for the unseemly display, but I had to remind Neemon that there's a time and place for everything. That said, there IS urgent danger! The Deadly Digimon have re-awakened! We managed to eavesdrop on a meeting of theirs, and apparently Lucemon's destruction awakened them and they've only just now gotten strong enough to escape their imprisonment. And now they want revenge on the Digital World! To make matters worse, they have plans to try and find the Spirits so they can attempt to corrupt them and turn the Legendary Warriors to their side! If they succeed, the Digital World could be in dire peril! We have to act fast to stop them!" Bokomon said to the Celestial Digimon trio, making them exchanged shocked glances before Seraphimon and Ophanimon exchanged a significant nod.

"It's funny you bring us this report, Bokomon. We were just discussing this exact thing. At this point, it seems the time is here for us to once again summon the Spirit Wielders back to the Digital World so that we can bring the Legendary Warriors back to help us once again. However, this time, we need to find wielders for ALL the spirits and not just the six that were previously wielded to defeat Lucemon. Seraphimon, you and Cherubimon mark Bokomon's map with the locations of the spirits that you scattered, while I send the signal to summon the Wielders back to the Digital World and gather the needed Trailmon to facilitate the Wielders' return. I will then mark the ones I scattered afterwards. Are we agreed?" Ophanimon said to Seraphimon and Cherubimon, who nodded at the same time that Bokomon nodded his understanding of Ophanimon's instructions.

"Very good, Lady Ophanimon. I will work with Seraphimon and Cherubimon to get the locations of the Spirits marked on my map while you do what you need to do. And Neemon will stay by my side so he doesn't somehow mess things up." Bokomon said as Ophanimon nodded before everyone went about doing their parts as the plan to stop the Deadly Digimon began...

(Back in the real world, unknown location, neutral POV)

"Shinya? If you see your brother, tell him I expect him back in time for dinner. Otherwise, go have fun." Shinya's mother said to Shinya who nodded his agreement and headed out for a walk, not wanting to linger around his house more than he had to. He then frowned as he recalled his mother's request.

She says that like he sees his older brother a lot. But Takuya marches to the beat of his own drum at times, though he did seem a bit more matured and calm when he returned from disappearing for a short while so maybe he's hanging out with the friends he made from that time. Shrugging at that, Shinya kept walking, not paying attention to where he was walking until a distinct 'OOF!' behind him made him turn around just as he felt himself collide with something solid.

As a result, next thing Shinya knew he was on the ground, rubbing his hands together in surprise from the impact, until he looked in front of him and saw the other guy also knocked on his backside. Shinya walked over and offered a hand to the guy to help him up, taking in the backwards cap and short shoulder-length brown hair the guy sported. At first glance, Shinya was reminded of Takuya, but this guy was a tad too short to be him.

"Ohh whoops, my bad man. I should've been paying more attention. Are you okay?" Shinya asked the guy after helping him up. The guy looked at him and nodded.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I was more surprised than anything. My name's Tommy Himi, by the way. And you are?" Tommy asked Shinya who smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Tommy. My name is Shinya Kanbara." Shinya said as he extended a hand out to Tommy who shook it, frowning at Shinya's last name.

"Kanbara...are you by chance related to a Takuya Kanbara?" Tommy asked Shinya who nodded.

"Yeah, he's my older brother. Why do you ask?" Shinya asked Tommy who smiled.

"Oh, just because he helped me out a lot back when he and I were off on a trip with a group of other kids to a far-off place." Tommy replied making Shinya frown as he spoke up.

"Far off place...would this be related to what Takuya tried to tell me once about a Digital World he'd been to?" Shinya asked, making Tommy's eyes go wide at this.

"Takuya told you about that?! Err...I mean, what Digital World? I know not of this 'Digital World' of which you speak." Tommy said, trying to pretend he didn't know what Shinya was referring to. Shinya just rolled his eyes, not buying Tommy's explanation one bit even if he thought his reaction was kind of funny.

"Don't play stupid with me, Tommy. You can tell me the truth. Takuya already told me just about everything even though some of it seemed a bit unrealistic if I'm being honest. But maybe you can offer a different perspective on this?" Shinya said to Tommy who sighed before nodding as he looked at Shinya.

"Very well, but not here. Follow me and I'll take you someplace less open where we can discuss things safely." Tommy said to Shinya who nodded, curious to hear this explanation as he followed Tommy, already trusting him despite only just having met him.

(Meanwhile, elsewhere, neutral POV)

Around that same time, in a different part of the city, another former Spirit Wielder was having a discussion of their own with their younger sister over lunch, with said younger sister not wanting any part of the discussion if the bored look on her face was any indication, but she humored her brother since she knew he probably meant well.

"Now, you know I'm putting a LOT of trust into you by leaving you alone like this, right Lumine? So as such, can you keep the house intact and not get into trouble while I'm gone at work?" JP asked his younger sister, who he'd called Lumine. Lumine frowned at her brother's words but nodded, speaking up with only a slight huff.

"Of course you can trust me, brother. Do I look like that blonde girl you used to be crazy for to you?! Also, what would I possibly get up to?! You do realize you're the closest thing I have to a friend because of your over-protective tendencies, right?! So odds are I'd just be laying on the couch watching TV or something like that. Not much else I can do unless I want to read or something, but I think I've already read most every book in this house.

So in other words, you don't have to worry about me brother. Just go to work, and let me figure out my plans." Lumine said in a slightly bored-sounding voice, blowing a few stray strands of her blonde hair out of her face, allowing for a better view of her icy grey eyes as she rolled them in exasperation at how overprotective her brother can be at times. JP just nodded before speaking up once again.

"Good. Just make sure you don't get into trouble while I'm gone. See you after work Lumine." JP said to Lumine who nodded, waiting until JP left for work before walking down the hall to her room, where she sat on her bed, looking at herself in the mirror that happened to face the bed. She sighed as she took in her slender but toned frame, liking how lithely she was built, despite not leaving the house much at JP's insistence. Lumine sighed as she laid back on her bed.

She knows JP cares and that's why he's so protective, but what if she might happen to want to make some friends of her own? Lumine felt she could handle herself. But she sighed, just shaking her head as she reached into her nightstand and pulled out the phone she'd been given by JP as a birthday present on her 13th birthday.

Of course, JP being JP, he forgot to clear out his gallery of any photos of his adventures, meaning Lumine got to see quite a bit she hadn't thought she would, especially the group photo JP had had saved showing him standing with a blonde girl, a smaller kid with an orange cap, what looked like twin black-haired guys, one of which had a bandanna on that for some reason caught Lumine's eye, and a guy with a backwards cap and goggles on.

That photo was one of Lumine's favorites to look at even though JP always changes the subject when she attempts to ask him about it. Lumine shrugged as she flipped through the gallery out of idle boredom, frowning as she came to a photo of what looked to be six monsters standing together, making poses. The fact that there were apparently five males and one female made Lumine frown as she wondered if maybe these monsters were JP and his friends.

Of course, without proof, Lumine could do little more than speculate. Lumine just laid there for a bit staring at the phone until it beeped and changed to a random screen which showed an unfamiliar symbol on it that Lumine didn't recognize before a voice came from it and spoke, making Lumine blink as she listened to what the phone had to say, wondering if she was finally losing it as the phone spoke, shrugging as she listened.

"It is time. If you're hearing this proceed to the nearest train station and take the elevator to the bottom floor and look for the special trains. Once you find them, pick one and board it. If you want to find your destiny and finally have an adventure, then heed my words." Lumine said, blinking as she set down the phone while pulling her other phone that she'd gotten as a present for her last birthday out and looking at it briefly, smiling before sliding it in her purse with the other phone that JP had given her.

She shook her head as she made up her mind, knowing she had to do this. She then left a quick note for JP on the kitchen table before opening the front door and walking outside, making her way towards the station. She made her way towards the station with an almost single-minded focus, not seeing that there were others also heading that way having gotten the same message she had, concentrating strictly on reaching the station, which she eventually did.

Once she got to the station Lumine's next move was going into the elevator and riding it down to where she saw three unique-looking trains, one red, one green and one blue. Initially, Lumine was going to just pick a random one but then her phones both glowed and pointed toward the blue train, making Lumine shrug as she climbed onboard the train, finding that she was the only one onboard, unsurprisingly. Shrugging, Lumine headed to the back of the train to grab a seat, deciding to get comfortable as she pulled JP's phone back out to flip through the gallery once more while she waited to see if anyone else would pick her same train.

Apparently she was either more bored than she'd thought, or maybe she'd tired herself out walking all the way to the station, she wasn't sure which. Either way, Lumine found herself falling asleep in her seat, doing a cat-like stretch over the seats she'd claimed as she dozed off, not hearing a thing as her train pulled away from the station...

(Over on the red train, neutral POV)

"Why are we being summoned back NOW of all times, I wonder?" Takuya asked himself as he leaned against the wall on the train he'd chosen. Next to him, a girl with similar-colored hair to Lumine's huffed as she spoke up, not surprised at how impatient Takuya still was as she spoke.

"Nice to see SOME things never change. And to your question, I'm sure there's some reason for it, Takuya. I don't think we'd be getting summoned back for no real reason. But then it is odd that only the two of us are on this train. I could be wrong, but I've not seen JP, Tommy, Koji or Koichi at all yet. Maybe they got on different Trailmon than we did?" the blonde girl suggested to Takuya who shrugged before speaking up once more, smiling at the blonde girl as he spoke.

"That's true. Nice to see you're still your usual blunt self, Zoe. Looks like I'm not the only one who's not changed much. But still, is it really just us on this Trailmon, do you think? I would think there'd be at least some other people on here, unless this is either Koji or JP's idea of a joke to trap us on a Trailmon together?" Takuya said to the now-named Zoe, who rolled her green eyes in fond annoyance as she spoke to Takuya, also unamused but agreeing with his assessment of things.

"I could see that being a joke JP would pull, though probably not something Koji would do. Too bad the joke would be on them, since you and I both know we only see each other as friends, right Takuya?" Zoe asked Takuya who nodded as he spoke up, a smirk on his face.

"Exactly. Don't get me wrong, you're cute and all, but if anything you're more like a sister to me than anything else honestly." Takuya pointed out making Zoe smile softly as she looked at Takuya happily, not expecting to hear that from him as she spoke.

"Really? I see you as a brother too, come to think of it." Zoe admitted, briefly pulling Takuya into a hug on impulse. Before Takuya could do more than return the hug and smile, another voice was heard speaking up from nearby making both Takuya and Zoe spring apart in shock.

"Hmm, looks like I'm NOT alone on this train after all. That's reassuring I guess. Oh, my bad. Did I walk in on a private moment or something by accident?" The voice, which was revealed as belonging to a guy around Takuya and Zoe's age with shoulder-length brown hair that he kept pulled into a loose ponytail which limply hung at his back, framing his hazel eyes perfectly as they went wide in surprise, all while the speaker looked over at what he perceived to be a possible fluff moment between a couple, asked.

The results of this were amusing in that the speaker chuckled at what he saw, which made Zoe and Takuya break apart, both sporting embarrassed looks on their faces as they turned to face the speaker, the latter speaking up quickly, sounding relieved that there was at least one other person on the train as he spoke with a grin on his face.

"Nah, it's fine. We were just catching up on old times and drawing a line in what exactly we are, which is basically the equivalent of brother and sister even though we're not actually related at all. I'm Takuya, by the way. Takuya Kanbara." Takuya said as he introduced himself to the new guy. Zoe, for her part just squeaked a bit in surprise, then smiled as she spoke up, looking the new guy in the eyes, intrigued by the unique shading of hazel in his eyes.

"Yeah, what Takuya said. But it's nice to know we're not alone on here. I'm Zoe Orimoto, by the way." Zoe said as she introduced herself to the new guy, who smiled as he briefly looked Zoe over as she spoke, deciding that she was rather easy on the eyes, yet also seemed slightly easygoing. The new guy nodded as he looked at Takuya and Zoe.

"Ah, I see. Those are rather nice names. Ah, yes, where are my manners? My name is Kusa Nakinori. It's nice to meet the both of you, Takuya and Zoe. Did you also get a message telling you to take the special trains to find your destiny?" The now-named Kusa asked Takuya and Zoe who frowned at this before both of them looked at Kusa.

"Special trains? Destiny? We did get a similar message the first time we went through something like this, but this time ours said 'Your powers are needed again. Please return to the Digital World when you get this.' rather than what yours did. So if I had to guess, we're all headed to the same place. I'd try explaining it more to you, but I'm not sure how long this train will take to get us where we're going and it's a bit of a long explanation. So can you wait on it for now, Kusa?" Takuya asked Kusa who nodded.

"I can certainly do that. I've always considered myself a relatively patient guy so I can wait a bit to hear your explanation. Besides, worst case I can get to know the two of you better in the meantime which could be fun given you two seem like people who are worth getting to know." Kusa said, making Zoe smile at him before she spoke up ignoring the oddly amused smirk on Takuya's face as he watched the interaction between Kusa and Zoe.

"I agree. And the same could be said for you, Kusa. Not to mention there's not a lot else to do. So yeah let's get to know each other better." Zoe said while she smiled at Kusa, who nodded his agreement, having to make himself not look right into Zoe's eyes as he nodded. The three then sat and got to know one another as their train kept moving...

(On the green train, neutral POV)

"...And that's how we became the Legendary Warriors and ended up getting the power to save the Digital World." Tommy said as he finished explaining his adventures with the others to Shinya who was listening attentively to what Tommy was saying, intrigued by what he'd had to say, only speaking up once Tommy had finished his explanation.

"That's pretty crazy. But it does explain why my brother seemed so much calmer and more mature when he returned home back then. I wonder if the fact that I got that message means I'll get to be a Legendary Warrior as well this time around? Because from what you said there were a total of 10 elemental spirit sets within the Legendary Warriors, but four of those elements aren't accounted for as yet if I recall what you said correctly. Maybe one of those is intended for me?" Shinya said making Tommy shrug.

"It's certainly possible. Though I'd have to wait and see who all shows up when we arrive in the Digital World before I can say anything for sure on that." Tommy said, but before Shinya could respond to Tommy's remark, another voice could be heard from nearby as the sound of a throat clearing drew Tommy and Shinya's attention, and both whipped around to see that the source of the throat clearing was a female. More specifically, the one who cleared their throat was a tall female with strawberry blonde hair, striking yellow eyes and a very form-fitting purple dress with a green vest on worn open over the dress, and a pair of black stiletto heels who looked Tommy and Shinya over appraisingly before smiling and walking into the room to lean against a wall before speaking up in a wary sounding voice, clearly gauging the two guys as she leaned.

"Sorry if I scared you with my entrance, but I didn't want to intrude while you were having what I guessed to be a private or classified conversation, but as we chose the same train to get on, I kinda had to settle for going to a different part while you two talked so I wouldn't be intruding on anything I wasn't meant to hear. That said, you seem like decent enough guys. But I digress. I shouldn't be trying to approach you without introducing myself, so let me remedy that now. My name is Sorina Miyato. And you two are?" The now named Sorina said to Tommy and Shinya who smiled before both nodded to Sorina.

"Nice to meet you, Sorina. I am Tommy Himi, and the guy next to me is Shinya Kanbara. Did you also get a message telling you to board these special trains to find your destiny, Sorina?" Tommy asked Sorina who nodded as she spoke up once more.

"That is correct. Though I have no idea what to expect when we get wherever we're going, so I'm just going in with low expectations just in case." Sorina said with a shrug. Shinya and Tommy nodded their agreement as the three sat and exchanged stories, getting to know each other as their train kept moving...

(Back on the blue train, neutral POV)

"Well, at least we managed to get a Trailmon back to the Digital World, eh Koji?" Koichi said to his younger twin brother Koji who nodded.

"Indeed. Though I think we cut it way too close for comfort. And I find it suspect that we seem to be the only ones on this train. Yet when I used my phone to scan for other signals that could be the others, I did see two other signals, one yellow and one turquoise, next to each other, yet I've checked most every part of this train and haven't found anyone else around other than you and I. Should we look around once more before we assume that my phone is malfunctioning?" Koji asked Koichi, who shrugged.

"If you want Koji, you can go look around and I'll stay here and keep this section reserved for us in case anyone else somehow shows up. Does that sound good to you?" Koichi asked Koji, who nodded as he got up to look around the train, his phone out to track the signals that had been shown on the display screen, seeing the signals get stronger as he reached the last compartment near the back of the train.

Once he got to the back of the train, Koji then quietly pushed the door open and blinked in surprise as he realized the signals were coming from in this room, only to frown as he didn't see anyone around. Or so he thought on first glance, but on a second glance, he only just managed to make out the sight of a purse sitting on a table next to a bench near the back of the room, making Koji frown as he decided to look around the room a bit more.

As a result of this, he noticed the curled-up figure stretched out across the bench he'd noticed by the table previously, reminding him of the purse he'd seen, next to which he could easily spot a female who was wearing a very tight-fitting turquoise tank top, a black skirt, purple knee-length tights and black pump heels who was asleep on the nearby bench looking somewhat peaceful and at ease as she dozed, though Koji quickly found himself blinking and he felt his cheeks heating up a bit as he noticed the telltale signs of the female's slightly uncomfortable sleeping position in the form of her skirt and top both riding up very slightly, much to Koji's surprise.

This had the very awkward, yet very clear result of allowing Koji a very distinct glance at a toned, smooth stomach and a very slight glimpse of what appeared to be turquoise panties under the skirt, making Koji's cheeks go slightly pink as he forced himself to look away, realizing that this female was both very pretty and also most likely the source of at least one of the signals, making him turn around and head back to find Koichi, not wanting to further disturb the female's sleep more than he had to.

Because of how much of a hasty exit he made from the compartment, he missed the female's eyes flutter open in time to watch Koji flee the compartment, leaving her to try and follow his retreat path with her grey eyes, both confused by the interruption and mildly amused by how quickly Koji had fled.

Back in the room Koichi had waited for Koji in, Koichi had decided to flip open a book he'd brought along to read while he waited, only to blink as he heard Koji come back in, looking up in time to have to keep from laughing at the flustered look on Koji's face as he came walking back in, his face somewhat flushed.

"Judging from your face, I'd say you found those signals you were tracking?" Koichi said, a wry grin on his face as he decided to tease Koji a bit, getting a huff from his brother as Koji spoke up after getting his face under control, rolling his eyes at Koichi as he spoke, his tone very clearly conveying how annoyed he was.

"Very funny, Koichi. If you must know, I tracked the signals to the back of the train, and I may or may not have stumbled upon a female who was asleep in the back, and my flushed expression was because I managed to get a bit more of an eyeful of her than I planned on with how she was sleeping. I had to beat a hasty retreat from the room so I wouldn't wake her and possibly cause both of us unneeded embarrassment. So yeah we're not alone clearly. Now quit teasing me Koichi." Koji huffed, though instead of Koichi answering Koji, a very distinctly feminine giggle could be heard from behind Koji which both confused Koichi and made Koji blink before going slightly red as he realized who the giggling most likely was coming from, making Koichi grin as he saw the embarrassed look on his usually calm and collected brother's face.

The giggling also had the result of making both Koji and Koichi exchange confused looks before turning to find that the source of the giggle was in fact the very same girl that Koji had managed to happen upon not that long previous. Koji let himself look her over for a bit, deciding he quite liked her grey eyes for some reason, and that the part of him that had decided in their initial meeting that this girl was pretty wasn't wrong in the slightest, but being Koji, he kept this thought to himself. Koichi then turned to the girl after he realized she was actually there, smiling at her as he spoke up.

"First of all, sorry if we woke you up with our conversation. We had no idea until literally just now that you were even here. But I will say you gave Koji here a pretty good shock when he found you sleeping by accident. So I'm sure he's still a bit tongue-tied from that. That being said, my name is Koichi Kimura. My little brother, once he finds his voice, is named Koji Minamoto. Might I ask what your name is?" Koichi asked the girl who smiled at how polite but courteous his words sounded, before giggling as she looked at Koji's slightly red face, liking that he was that easily embarrassed even if it embarrassed her a bit as well for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on as she spoke up.

"It's quite all right. I find your brother's face kinda adorable right now. That being said, nice to meet you both. My name is Lumine Shibayama. And Koji? Don't feel bad for walking in on me like you did. I'm actually kind of glad you did since it let me realize I wasn't alone on this train which is why I initially dozed off back there. I was waiting to see who if anyone else turned up on this train since I doubted I'd be the only one to pick this train, though I may have managed to fall asleep while I waited without meaning to.

So I forgive you if you saw anything you didn't think you would, since that would be on me and not you for not thinking more about my sleeping position. That said, would you two mind if I joined you so we can get to know each other a bit more? No sense in being in separate compartments if we all chose the same train after all. But if you'd rather have the compartment to yourselves, I understand that too." Lumine said, as Koji and Koichi exchanged glances before Koichi spoke up.

"I have no problem with it if Koji's okay with it. And given his current tongue-tied condition, I doubt he'd complain about it that much if at all." Koichi replied, a sly grin on his face as he enjoyed the look of mixed embarrassment and slight pleasure on Koji's face. Koji then blinked before huffing as he frowned at Koichi.

"H-Hey! Don't be poking fun of me like that, Koichi! I'd like to see YOU stumble onto her like I did and NOT be a bit flustered and tongue-tied from what you saw. That said, sorry if I woke you up when I found you. I was tracking two signals I'd gotten on my phone that suggested to me that Koichi and I weren't alone on this train. However, I wasn't expecting to follow the signals to find you sleeping like that. I was trying not to gawk too much, but to be fair, there's only so much a guy can do when one of the first things he sees when looking over an unfamiliar girl is a very generous glimpse of a very smooth and toned tummy and a very embarrassing glimpse under your skirt, which I was seriously trying NOT to look but couldn't exactly resist sneaking at least a peek. Sorry about that Lumine. I'll understand if you want to slap me for being a creeper." Koji said to Lumine who smiled at him before gently wrapping her arms around him comfortingly as she gave him a brief yet chaste hug before stepping away with a smile as she spoke up.

"First of all Koji, I don't think you're a creeper at all. If anything, I confess myself flattered that you were that intrigued that you'd let yourself take looks at me even if you tried to keep it professional and not awkward. I do not at all hate you though, since you seem like a nice guy, if a bit awkward, but I suppose we can write that off as a bad first impression on both our parts since I was the one who didn't make sure I kept my outfit straightened up, which I normally don't forget to do that.

So I forgive you for looking at me, since I find you and Koichi to be interesting guys. So relax, and let's just forget that happened and start over by getting to know each other. Or would you rather I not be here?" Lumine said to Koji who blinked at Lumine's words before he spoke up again, sounding vaguely offended by the idea that Lumine would think he didn't want her around as he spoke up, ignoring the grin on Koichi's face as he watched Koji speak up.

"Absolutely not! I have no issue whatsoever with you staying in our compartment if you want to do so. After all, if you're here for the reasons I think you are, we're all on the same side here anyways, Lumine. So by all means, have a seat and we can get to know each other some more if you want." Koji said to Lumine who smiled happily and sat down next to Koji as Koichi smiled at the seemingly instant friendship between Koji and Lumine. Lumine smiled as she spoke up once more.

"Well, thank you for being so understanding Koji. I'm guessing that you're both here because you got a similar message to this one?" Lumine said as she pulled out the phone she'd been given by JP to show Koji and Koichi the message that had shown up on it which made them blink before Koji spoke up, having a thought occur to him.

"Say, Lumine...you said your last name was Shibayama. Would you happen to be related to a JP Shibayama by any chance? Because I'm pretty sure that last name is not a common one. That said, do you happen to have more than one phone? Because I did follow TWO signals to the spot where I found you." Koji asked Lumine who blinked at the question in surprise but then smiled as she spoke up once more, looking at Koji as she spoke.

"Yes, I know him...he's my older brother, though the way he tends to be crazy protective of me, he acts more like my father than my brother. But yes I do have two phones in here, one of which used to be JP's until he got a new one a couple years ago and gave me his old one as a birthday present for my 13th birthday.

I used it until my mom gave me a new phone for my 16th birthday recently. So it might be you were getting signals from both my phones. Actually, come to think of it, I haven't checked my phone for messages since I got here. One second." Lumine said as she pulled out her newer phone and looked at it, gasping as she saw a message on screen that was different to the one she'd seen and heard from JP's old phone.

'If you're reading this, then congratulations! You've been chosen to be part of a struggle against a great threat to save multiple worlds, and if you wish to find your destiny, head to the Shibuya Terminal, board one of the special trains in the basement, and let it take you to your destiny.' The message read, making Koji and Lumine exchanged shocked looks as they finished reading the message. Koji then sighed as he looked at Lumine.

"Well, between this message and the one you showed us on your brother's old phone, it would seem we have a story to tell you. Good thing we've got plenty of time since it's kind of a long story. Suffice it to say, you've managed to find yourself in a very huge battle that you couldn't possibly have expected to be involved in when you came to the Digital World, and I think you deserve to know what you're getting into by coming here with us. Are you okay with hearing this story?" Koji asked Lumine who smiled and nodded as she spoke up once more.

"Absolutely, Koji. I've been rather curious about that message since I got it and found myself on this train. So lay it on me. I've got nowhere else to be." Lumine said as Koji and Koichi took turns explaining to Lumine all about their previous tenure as Legendary Warriors, and their eventual final fight against Lucemon, even covering the truth of how Koichi came to end up joining the team halfway through their battle. By the time that Koji and Koichi's story was finished, Lumine's eyes were wide in surprise as she listened to the story. After the story was finished, Lumine stroked her cheek contemplatively before speaking up, a look of uncertainty on her face.

"So, if I understand you correctly, you and Koichi were part of a group of kids known collectively as the Legendary Warriors, and by the end of it, Koichi had to seemingly sacrifice himself to give your group the power to defeat your final opponent, which you did eventually do. After that, you all returned to the real world where you were able to revive Koichi and then returned to a relatively peaceful life until now, about five years later. And you two had the elements of light and darkness respectively as your Spirit sets? Do I have that about right?" Lumine asked Koji and Koichi, the former of which nodded with a slight smile at how perceptive Lumine was.

"That's correct. Koichi had the Spirits of Darkness, I had the Spirits of Light, Takuya had the Spirits of Fire, Tommy had the Spirits of Ice, Zoe had the Spirits of Wind, and your brother JP had the Spirits of Thunder. There were also Spirits of Earth, Spirits of Wood, Spirits of Steel and Spirits of Water, but none of them had human wielders the first time around, what with the whole being given sentience and corrupted to attack us bit that I believe I mentioned to you before.

Given that you got a message to come here, I'm guessing that this time around those four elements will have wielders. And going from the two colored signals I tracked to you, I'd be inclined to guess you'll probably end up with the Spirits of Water, which from what I can see makes a sort of sense to me. I could be mistaken however since we don't know each other all that well just yet." Koji replied making Lumine giggle in amusement at Koji's awkward attempt at a compliment.

"Considering you have the experience here with the Digital World, I'm inclined to believe you on that Koji. Still, don't feel like you have to be nice to me just because we're on a train together. I appreciate it and it is flattering, but you can just be yourself. I'd rather get to know the real you rather than just some pretense you put up for my sake. But I will admit it is kind of cute seeing you stumble over yourself, Koji." Lumine said with a smile as she giggled, making Koji nod to her words as Koichi chuckled before speaking up.

"Believe it or not, this IS the real Koji. Granted, he's usually a bit less sociable and distant, but I think we can chalk that up to you, Lumine. Given the look on his face when he stumbled back into here after he found you, I think he might be interested in you even if he won't likely admit to it at first. Still, that's only a guess on my part. Only Koji can say for sure what Koji is thinking." Koichi said with a smirk making Lumine laugh at the offended look on Koji's face at Koichi's statement before speaking up.

"You could be right, Koichi. Still, I'm not against Koji liking me. However, at the same time, there's plenty of time for us to get to know one another before getting too close so I have no problems with being friends with you both. Maybe, way down the line, it could be something more, but for now I think friendship is a good place to start. Don't you both agree?" Lumine said to Koichi and Koji, both of whom nodded. Koji eventually spoke up after a pause to consider Lumine's words.

"I quite agree. While I won't deny that you are rather cute Lumine, friendship is as good a place to start as any. So I suppose let's spend the rest of this ride getting to know each other some more." Koji said to Lumine, who flushed slightly on hearing Koji's compliment, but just smiled and nodded as she started a conversation with Koji and Koichi that lasted all the way until the train pulled to a stop and a voice spoke up over the intercom, catching the trio's attention.

"Attention, all passengers. We have now arrived at the Shadow Terminal. Please gather your things and kindly disembark at once as this is the final destination for this line. Thank you for choosing to ride this Trailmon, and thanks for your patronage." Koji, Koichi and Lumine heard a voice say through the intercom. Lumine blinked at this before shrugging as she looked at Koji and Koichi before speaking up with a slight smile on her face as she spoke.

"Well, it looks like we're here. I guess now we just look around and see what we can find? Or should we wait and see if anyone else shows up first?" Lumine asked, a slight bit of apprehension in her tone as she spoke making Koji smile at her before he decided to answer her question.

"Honestly, Lumine? We could wait for the others, but considering I think ours was the only train, or Trailmon as that intercom called it, to head this way, I think the others would've ended up in a different terminal. So I say we go explore around a bit and see what we can find." Koji said making Lumine nod her understanding as Koichi blinked before speaking up as he looked at his phone which was glowing.

"Uh guys? I think our phones are glowing." Koichi said, making Koji and Lumine look at each other and pull their phones out in time for them to glow and change into what Koji and Koichi knew to be D-Tectors, Koji and Koichi's taking on their usual color schemes.

As for Lumine's phones, one of them glowed before taking on a D-Tector color scheme that Koji immediately recognized as being JP's D-Tector color scheme while the other glowed before becoming a turquoise D-Tector with an almost sea-green edging that both Koji and Koichi blinked at before shrugging as they looked at Lumine.

"I'm guessing the reason you have two D-Tectors is because JP gave you his without thinking about it as a present?" Koji asked Lumine who nodded sheepishly.

"Though if it IS a D-Tector, that WOULD explain why he had such odd pictures in his gallery when I checked it. But I don't think I can show them to you now since it's a D-Tector now." Lumine replied simply, looking away as her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment after acknowledging her tendency to stare at said gallery at times. Koji laughed before giving Lumine a gentle pat on the shoulder making her look at him in a mix of gratitude and surprise.

"Last I checked, D-Tectors can take pictures but I don't think you can really view them that well after the fact. But we can take your word for it that there were odd photos on JP's D-Tector since he was kind of an oddball when he was traveling with us before. Not to mention he spent a lot of his time being super-obvious about his crush on Zoe, which she never did end up reciprocating on. So I can just imagine the types of photos he had saved." Koji said with an amused smirk on his face. Lumine smiled but nodded.

"Actually, now that I think about it, you and Koichi were in at least one of the group pictures since I recall seeing a picture of JP and some of his friends, and one of the guys in the back had a bandanna just like yours. Maybe that was you and Koichi?" Lumine said after a moment's consideration. Koichi then surprised Lumine and Koji by laughing.

"If it's the picture I think it is, that was definitely us since I think that was the picture JP took shortly after the group saved me from a horrid fate after I sacrificed myself so Koji and Takuya could defeat Lucemon in the final battle. By chance Lumine, did you spend a lot of time staring at the guy with the bandanna in that picture?" Koichi asked Lumine, laughing at how pink her face got as she frowned at his question before huffing cutely and turning away, missing the vaguely interested look on Koji's face at her reaction as a result of turning away when she did, also missing Koji frowning at Koichi as well as a result.

"Very funny, Koichi. Not that it's your business, but yes I did. And in my defense, he looked cute. Sure he had a bit of a sour look on his face, but I think anyone would if they'd been forced into being in the photo like he probably was. At least that's my guess. But in any case, I think this is the part where we look around for the others?" Lumine said, almost jumping when she felt Koji gently take her hand in his to give it a light but encouraging squeeze, making her turn to him and smile shyly.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd do that, Koji. But thank you." Lumine said, smiling happily at Koji, who nodded as he spoke up, ignoring the smug grin on Koichi's face as he spoke.

"Not a problem. And yeah, you're right. Though I think the others would've ended up in a different part of the Digital World honestly." Koji said to Lumine who nodded.

"True, but what if their trains just were behind ours and they did end up here?" Koichi pointed out making Koji frown, not having thought of that.

"That's...a good point. I hadn't thought of that Koichi. I guess we can sit here a little while and wait for the others in case their trains are running behind." Koji said, making Lumine and Koichi nod their agreement as they got comfortable to wait for the others...

(Meanwhile at the Earth Terminal, with the people that took the Red and Green trains, neutral POV)

"So we're finally in the Digital World. Why then, did they call our destination the Earth Terminal, I wonder?" Kusa asked contemplatively as he, Takuya and Zoe made their way off of the train they'd taken, to which Zoe shrugged before speaking up uncertainly.

"If I had to guess, some of the terminals got re-named for each of the Legendary Warriors' elements." Zoe said uncertainly making Kusa nod, recalling what he'd been told about the Legendary Warriors.

"Ah yes, that's right. If i recall your story right, you said the ten elements used by the Legendary Warriors are Fire, Light, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Darkness, Earth, Wood, Water and Steel?" Kusa said contemplatively to which Zoe nodded before speaking up with a smile on her face.

"That's right. Nice to see you were paying attention, Kusa." Zoe said happily and Kusa nodded before smirking as he spoke up.

"But of course I was paying attention. I'd have to be pretty rude to not be paying attention to a story I'm being told, especially when one of the storytellers is a lady. But in all seriousness, I wonder if the fact this is the Earth Terminal could imply that at least one of the Earth Spirits are hidden in this area?" Kusa asked, stroking his chin contemplatively, making Zoe blink in surprise at this question before shrugging as she wasn't sure of that herself. Takuya just nodded, his attention focused on the next Trailmon over that had pulled up, or more specifically the trio getting off of said Trailmon. Tommy smiled as he ran up to Takuya and hugged him eagerly.

"Takuya! I knew I'd run into you here! Oh, and Zoe's here too! Nice! Not sure who the new guy is, but I'm sure he's okay if he's with you two. Not that I have room to talk considering I have a pair of potential newbies with me too." Tommy said, gesturing behind himself to the two other individuals exiting the train, the shorter of the two making Takuya gasp in surprise as he darted forward to the male in question, speaking up to get their attention.

"Shinya?! What are you doing here?!" Takuya asked in shock, making Shinya turn around slowly and go wide-eyed on recognizing Takuya.

"T-Takuya?! I didn't think I'd find you this soon! I got a message on my phone telling me to come here to find my destiny. So did Tommy and Sorina over there." Shinya replied, gesturing over his shoulder towards the girl Takuya had basically darted past to catch up to Shinya, who Takuya turned to look at appraisingly before blinking and sheepishly rubbing the back of his head before speaking to her.

"Ohh, oops. Um, I'm sorry for almost running you over like that. I was just shocked to see that my little brother was here. Are you hurt?" Takuya asked the girl who turned to face Takuya, whatever dry quip she'd been about to make about watching where he was going dying on her lips as she looked at Takuya.

"No, it's okay. Accidents happen. Just, y'know, be more careful from now on, yeah?" The girl said making Takuya nod.

"Yeah, fair enough. My bad. I'm Takuya Kanbara, and you are?" Takuya said to the girl who smiled and extended her hand towards Takuya.

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Takuya. I'm Sorina Miyato." The now-named Sorina said to Takuya who smiled and shook the outstretched hand eagerly, smiling at Sorina as he spoke up.

"Nice to meet you as well, Sorina. Once they finish whatever they're discussing, I'm sure Zoe and Kusa will catch up to us." Takuya said making Tommy nod in understanding with Sorina and Shinya. At about that moment, Zoe and Kusa blinked before walking over to join the others.

"Oh, sorry about that. We were just having a brief discussion about why this place was called the Earth Terminal, when Kusa raised an interesting point I'd not thought of." Zoe said as she and Kusa walked over, the latter smirking slightly at managing to surprise Zoe with his logic.

"You say that I surprised you, but I'm sure if you'd thought about it you'd have realized that most of the terminal names happen to coincide with the elements of the Legendary Warriors." Kusa said off-handedly, causing Tommy and Takuya to exchanged wide-eyed glances of surprise before both looked at Kusa.

"That's a good point though. I suppose by that logic, maybe we'll find at least one of the Spirits of Earth here." Takuya said making Tommy nod his agreement.

"It's definitely possible. The only question that I can see is do we have the right newbie to wield the Earth spirits if we do find them?" Tommy asked and Takuya blinked at the question before shrugging as he spoke up.

"I think we might, but that assumes that both Kusa and Shinya have D-Tectors with them." Takuya said making Shinya and Kusa exchange looks before both pulled their phones out only to blink as they saw that said phones had changed into something else entirely. Where Tommy's D-Tector was green and white, and Takuya's was mixed red, orange and black, Shinya's appeared to be a mix of brown and red with traces of orange while Kusa's was a mix of grey and silver. Takuya and Tommy blinked.

"Looking at those, maybe Kusa is going to be drawn to the Spirits of Steel and Shinya might be the wielder of the Earth Spirits." Takuya said as Sorina pulled out her phone, frowning as she saw it'd turned into a similar device to what Kusa and Shinya had, but hers was a darker brown with accents of forest green and hints of purple.

"Hmm, perhaps Sorina is the wielder of the Wood spirits?" Kusa surmised as he looked at Sorina's device. Sorina shrugged.

"Makes sense to me. So if we have the wielders of Wood, Steel and Earth here, what of the wielder of Water?" Sorina added after a brief pause to process what had been said.

"Hmm...good question. I do notice not all of our group is here. For starters, both Koji and Koichi aren't here, and neither is JP. Maybe those three have the wielder of Water with them." Takuya said after pondering Sorina's question briefly before turning to give Sorina an encouraging smile to which she nodded.

"Fair enough. Thank you for answering my question, Takuya." Sorina said gratefully, smiling at Takuya who nodded respectfully before speaking up.

"You're welcome. I suppose we should keep going and see if we can find the spirit of Earth around here." Takuya said as the rest of the group nodded before continuing to walk around the area looking for the Spirit of Earth...

(Back at the Shadow Terminal with the others, neutral POV)

"Well, I don't think anyone else is coming. I don't think the Trailmon were that far separated. So I suppose we should get looking around the area." Koichi said as Koji nodded before Lumine looked around before gasping as she saw a sign ahead of her that said 'You are in the Shadow Terminal. The Shrine of Darkness is due east from here.', making Koji and Koichi turn to look at her as they heard her gasp, making her turn away in embarrassment before speaking up after a second to get her embarrassment under control.

"Oh, sorry if I scared you by gasping. But I found what looks to be a sign that points towards someplace called the 'Shrine of Darkness' that points east of here. And didn't you tell me that Koichi's element was Darkness, Koji?" Lumine said after a bit, trying not to be embarrassed as Koji smiled at her before nodding.

"That's true, I did say that. Hmm, maybe this 'Shrine of Darkness' could be where your spirits are, eh Koichi?" Koji asked Koichi who shrugged.

"It's certainly possible. If nothing else, it's worth a try. Hopefully we'll find the Shrines of Light and if we're correct on the elements in Lumine's D-Tectors, Thunder and Water fairly soon so we can all Spirit Evolve." Koichi said making Lumine blink at the mention of Spirit Evolution. She then turned to Koji before speaking up.

"Isn't that what you called the transformation you and Koji made into your Legendary Warrior forms? Is it that amazing to go through? I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious." Lumine said uncertainly making Koji laugh before he gently patted her on the shoulder with an amused look on his face as he spoke.

"It's fine, Lumine. I had that EXACT same reaction the first few times I Spirit Evolved. But once you've done it a few times, you'll find yourself with a deeper appreciation for it. Besides, if I recall correctly from before, only the spirits of Water and Wind are intended to be wielded by women, and as I recall my friend Zoe has the Spirits of Wind so Water is really the only feminine spirit type left. And I have a hunch it'll look better on you than it did on the last one to wield the Water spirits." Koji said off-handedly before his eyes went wide and he turned a bit red as he registered the fact he'd basically just flirted with a girl he barely knows. Surprisingly, instead of the expected huff or shrug, Lumine giggled at Koji's remark before speaking up with a grin on her face while she smiled at Koji as she spoke, flattered by his compliment even if she wasn't trying to show it.

"You know Koji, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I don't think you need to be breaking out the pick-up lines just yet. Maybe down the line a bit when we've gotten to know one another more but not when we've literally only just met. But I appreciate the compliment nonetheless." Lumine said honestly, turning away so Koji wouldn't see the slight dusting of pink on her face from his previous compliment. Unfortunately for her, while she was able to hide it from Koji, Koichi saw it but said nothing, preferring to just have a knowing grin on his face as he watched the hilarious interactions between his brother and Lumine, easily seeing the instant connection between the two.

After a bit of walking, the two eventually reached the Shrine of Darkness. After walking up to the shrine, Koichi visibly tensed before sticking an arm out to stop Koji and Lumine who halted at the sight of Koichi's arm extended out in front of them, and the former spoke up with a wary sounding voice.

"What is it, Koichi?" Koji asked Koichi who frowned before speaking up, his expression clearly one of uncertainty.

"I sense a Digimon nearby, or perhaps it's just the fact I was the wielder of the Spirits of Darkness, but either way I sense we're not alone here." Koichi said making Koji nod and put himself next to Lumine in case he had to pull her out of the way of an attack or something. He knew she should be able to handle herself, but one can never be too cautious after all. Not long after this did the trio hear a growling sound from nearby before they heard a voice speak up.

"Well, well, if it's not two of the former Spirit Wielders, and is this meant to be a new Wielder? It seems maybe the rumors about the Deadly Digimon might be true after all." The trio heard before the speaker stepped out of the shadows, and surprisingly, before Koji or Koichi could say anything, Lumine gaped at the sight of the speaker before squealing a bit despite herself as she spoke up.

"I know you said this world is filled with Digimon, but you didn't mention some of them looked like dogs. Especially cute dogs like this. Um, no offense to you, doggo. You are cute though." Lumine said, before getting a sheepish look on her face at the looks that Koichi and Koji gave her at her outburst.

"Cute or not Lumine, sometimes cute Digimon can be the most dangerous of all. So don't be fooled by appearances." Koichi said with a smirk while Koji huffed and spoke up.

"Do you always squeal like that, Lumine? Luckily I wasn't right next to you, because that might have hurt my ears." Koji joked making Lumine flush a bit in embarrassment before punching Koji lightly on the arm as she huffed before speaking up.

"I don't always do that! I was just shocked by how cute this Digimon looked, that's all! And I apologize for potentially hurting your ears Koji. But kindly don't tease me please." Lumine replied huffily before turning to look at the dog Digimon again. The dog Digimon chuckled at Lumine's reaction.

"Human, you're lucky I don't mind that you called me cute. Usually I attack people for less. But I'm willing to overlook it this time. And your friends are correct, I am a Digimon. Sangloupmon is my name, and I'm pleased to meet you, Spirit Wielders. Especially YOU, Wielder of Darkness." The now-named Sangloupmon said to the trio, aiming the last of his remark at Koichi in particular. Koji, Koichi and Lumine nodded their acknowledgement of Sangloupmon's greetings before introducing themselves.

"I take it you're here for the Spirit of Darkness, then?" Sangloupmon asked Koichi who nodded before speaking up.

"That's correct. We were summoned back here because of an apparent new threat to the Digital World. So I take it the Spirit of Darkness is here?" Koichi asked Sangloupmon, who nodded before speaking up once more, looking at the trio as he spoke.

"Right you are. However, it's a ways down, and only the one who wields Darkness can take this trip, meaning the others have to stay here in the interim." Sangloupmon informed Koichi, Koji and Lumine who shrugged but nodded their acceptance of Sangloupmon's words, as Koichi followed Sangloupmon down the nearby stairs while Koji and Lumine shrugged before finding a space nearby to sit and get comfortable in while they waited for Koichi...

(Back at the Earth Terminal with the bigger group, neutral POV)

"So where do you think the Spirit of Earth is?" Kusa asked the others, as Takuya spoke up with a smirk.

"Could be anywhere, really. If I recall correctly when I got Agunimon's spirit, I found it inside an object. So it could be most anywhere." Takuya pointed out sagely. Zoe nodded her agreement before she also spoke up, smiling at Kusa as she spoke.

"Takuya is correct. And when I got Kazemon's spirit, we found it in a tree while saving some Floramon. Granted at the time, we thought it might have been JP's since he and I were the only two without Spirits at the time, so it surprised me only slightly when it chose me and not him. Either way, the places we find spirits seems to somewhat match up to their elements to a point, even if I don't personally see how the Spirit of Wind being in a tree of all things makes sense, but whatever. That said, probably the Spirit of Earth will probably be somewhere underground if I had to guess or in a very earthy spot. But that's just my opinion." Zoe said conversationally, making Kusa nod his understanding.

As the group kept walking, Zoe allowed herself a moment to look Kusa over, taking in the grey muscle shirt he wore under a silver vest with a silver chain around his neck, his form-fitting black shorts, the grey knee-length socks that he wore partly rolled down and his black boots, making Zoe smile appreciatively at how well-dressed Kusa was even as she kept walking. While Kusa and Takuya walked a bit in front of the group talking excitedly to one another about things, and Tommy was hanging in the back chatting with Shinya, Zoe's gaze fell onto the strawberry blonde girl standing by herself and she blinked as she realized why this girl looked familiar.

"Sorina? Is that really you, cousin? I didn't realize you were there until now. My apologies." Zoe said, catching Sorina's attention as she turned to look at Zoe, smiling as she nodded to Zoe's question as she spoke up.

"Indeed, it has been some time since we last spoke, cousin. But that's not in any way your fault. If anything, I blame your judgmental parents for having me barred from family gatherings once they found out about my being into both genders thanks to my mom speaking about it without thinking. Granted I prefer men to women, but the fact remains she shouldn't have been speaking about it at all. But never mind that, how have you been Zoe?" Sorina asked Zoe who frowned at Sorina's outburst but smiled as she spoke up.

"I've been pretty good all told honestly. If you were listening to what Takuya and I told Kusa before, which I think you were, then you know about my previous trip to this place. That aside, I think you've done well for yourself since the last time we saw each other, and you even look good. And so you know, I don't care that you're bisexual, Sorina. I don't judge stuff like that. Besides, I'd be a hypocrite if I did considering I know of at least one other Legendary Warrior who's bi, even if they don't think I realize it. But I won't name names for the sake of respecting their privacy." Zoe said to Sorina who smiled gratefully at Zoe and nodded.

"Very well, I won't pry. And thank you for being so understanding, cousin. It means a lot to me." Sorina said happily as she pulled Zoe into a brief hug before letting go, both girls smiling at their renewed friendship as they kept walking towards the Earth Shrine. Ahead of them, Takuya and Kusa were chatting excitedly about various Spirit-based possibilities among other things, neither one aware of Zoe and Sorina walking close by them and listening to their conversation.

"So if I'm understanding you correctly, you think we could have to deal with the corrupted forms of the Spirits of Wood, Earth, Steel and Water when the time comes to claim said Spirits? If you're right, I don't envy those Spirits' wielders at all given that sounds like it'd be rough going." Kusa said uncertainly as Takuya nodded.

"You're probably right, but I think if the new wielders are who we theorized they are, I think they'll do fine, especially considering I have a strong hunch you yourself might be one of them, Kusa. Not to mention, I'm sure you'd just love to be able to wield one of those Spirits and be a hero while possibly sweeping some lucky girl off her feet or some such shenanigans of that sort." Takuya said, laughing at the blanching look on Kusa's face as he flushed slightly before replying in an unamused tone.

"Very funny, Takuya. So what if I do like the idea of being a hero? And to your comment about sweeping a girl off her feet, if it happens, great, and if not so be it. I'm not going to go out of my way to force it to happen. After all, last I checked ladies don't usually care to be forced into things. Not to mention, usually most relationships are built off of friendship as far as I know. So yeah, whatever happens, happens. And frankly, I'm not sure we should be having conversations like that about sweeping girls off their feet when there's a pair of ladies walking behind us that could be listening in to us if they so chose.

So yeah I think we should exercise caution in what we speak of to some extent." Kusa said with a shrug, trying not to flush at Takuya's remarks about sweeping some girl off her feet, not having missed the subtle jerk of the head he gave in Zoe's direction as he made that comment, prompting Kusa to roll his eyes at the subtle teasing from Takuya. Takuya shrugged before speaking up once again, smirking as he saw the slight tinge of pink that had subconsciously dusted Zoe's cheeks when she heard what he and Kusa had been discussing, confirming his suspicions that Zoe was at least interested in Kusa.

"If you say so, Kusa. I suppose there's plenty of time for things like that, after all. No sense being in a hurry." Takuya said non-chalantly as Kusa frowned but nodded.

"That's true, though I feel like you're being way too happy-go-lucky about this, Takuya. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only one to have a girl interested in them, but that's just my opinion. But don't think I didn't see that slight shyness between you and Sorina before, Takuya. I totally saw that. So you have no room to tease me when you're probably just as apt to have a girl interested in you. But we'll leave that at that for now, since I get the sense the girls are listening in on this, and unlike you, I'm not trying to make things awkward for them, at least not any moreso than you already might have made it with what you said." Kusa said to Takuya who flushed a bit but nodded.

"Fair enough, Kusa. I suppose we should keep looking in case we can find that Spirit of Earth. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can start finding the other spirits." Takuya said making Kusa nod approvingly at Takuya's enthusiasm. Around that point, a rumbling from nearby drew Kusa and Takuya's attention, and both of them turned in time to see the ground split open in front of Shinya, and out from it burst a form that Takuya, Zoe and Tommy all instantly recognized but believed defeated/purified.

"No way, how can this be?!" Tommy said, wide-eyed at the Digimon standing before them at that moment. Takuya and Zoe just gasped in horror before speaking up in unison.

"GRUMBLEMON?!" Takuya and Zoe asked simultaneously, the latter frowning before speaking up as a thought occurred to her.

"Wait...if you're alive, what happened to the DigiEgg that shot away when JP defeated and scanned your Fractal Code? You shouldn't be like this right now!" Zoe said.

"Technically, you'd be wrong. Yes, your friend defeated and purified me that day. However, when the Spirits were re-scattered, the spirits of Earth, Wood, Steel and Water were purified by Ophanimon and Seraphimon, and myself, Arbormon, Mercurymon and Ranamon were revived to serve as safeguards of sorts for the purified spirits of our respective elements to test the would-be wielders of our elements to make sure they're worthy of taking on the purified spirits' powers. So yeah, as you can see, I'm the safeguard of the Spirit of Earth. So that means you have to overcome me to prove your worthiness to wield the Spirit of Earth. So which of you has the D-Tector of Earth?" Grumblemon asked. Shinya frowned but stepped forward, his D-Tector in hand as he spoke up, his voice uncertain but determined.

"I am. Or at least the colors on my D-Tector suggest I am." Shinya said honestly. Grumblemon laughed as he looked at Shinya, sizing him up.

"Be that as it may, you're just a puny human with no Spirits. Thinking about it, I don't think ANY of you have Spirits, yet you tried marching in here. Quite a foolish decision on your parts, don't you think? No matter, my trusty hammer and I will put you fools out of your misery in short order so just hold still and I'll make your ends swift and painless." Grumblemon said, taunting the DigiDestined before pulling out a hammer and flexing it.

"So what will it be? Will you surrender, or will I have to give you a taste of my hammer?" Grumblemon said to the group who rolled their eyes, before Shinya huffed.

"Shut it, little one. If my brother and his friends could defeat you with only part of their group gathered, I think we can take you." Shinya said dryly, making Takuya blink at him in surprise while Tommy gaped at the boldness Shinya was showing. Zoe and Kusa just shrugged while Sorina laughed.

"Yeah! You tell 'em Shinya! Don't let that short little imp push you around!" Sorina cheered making both Kusa and Takuya facefault at her remark while Shinya laughed and nodded. Grumblemon frowned as he hefted his hammer, his eye twitching at the insult that Sorina had given him.

"Oh, THAT's it! No one disses me like that! Have a taste of THIS! Seismic Sledge!" Grumblemon said, swinging his hammer around at the Digidestined, knocking many holes in the ground and making the group scatter, Takuya and Kusa subconsciously positioning themselves between Grumblemon and both Sorina and Zoe respectively, making sure the girls wouldn't get hit if he did aim an attack in their direction. However, what Grumblemon DIDN'T realize was that in doing so, he also inadvertently broke the seal containing the Spirit of Earth, allowing it to materialize in front of the group, eventually coming to a halt in front of a stunned Shinya whose D-Tector glowed in Shinya's hand before the spirit slid slowly towards Shinya's D-Tector before sliding inside and making a symbol appear on Shinya's D-Tector before everyone present heard a voice speak from Shinya's D-Tector, causing much shock among the gathered battlers.

"It is time." The D-Tector said, as Shinya nodded in the affirmative before the screen cut to a shot of him hoisting his D-Tector up in one hand, the other going up to cause a ring of data to appear around it which Shinya swiped across his D-Tector.

"EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!" Shinya called out as he swiped the data ring across his D-Tector causing him to be wrapped in data as he merged with the purified Spirit of Earth, causing him to get a bit taller, more muscular and gain armor on his chest and shoulders, his fists getting spiked gauntlets on each arm (Like Knuckles' Digger Claws from Sonic Adventure) as a hammer was sheathed on Shinya's back as he dropped back to the ground, his fists colliding against each other as an orange visor appeared over his eyes underneath a red cap and a purple facemask and boots appeared to complete the look. At that point, Shinya yelled as he punched his knuckles together and flexed before finishing his transformation and yelling his new form's name for all to hear.

"HURGH! HEH HA, HA-HA! BURROWMON!" The now-named Burrowmon called out as he finished his Spirit Evolution. Burrowmon stared down Grumblemon as he flexed.

"What was that about us being an easy mark, Grumblemon?!" Burrowmon said as he readied his fists, Grumblemon doing the same.

"I take it back. But now we fight to see who the better Earth Warrior is! Bring it on, Burrowmon!" Grumblemon said as he and Burrowmon started throwing punches back and forth while Kusa and Takuya got Tommy, Zoe and Sorina to a safe distance so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire as the two Earth Warriors did battle. After awhile, Burrowmon smirked at Grumblemon before speaking up, his eyes filled with respect for the other Warrior of Earth as he spoke.

"Not bad, Grumblemon. I'm impressed. But this is where it ends. Time for you to taste MY hammer." Burrowmon said as he pulled out his hammer and hefted it.

"Goodbye, Grumblemon! Terra Trampler!" Burrowmon said as he swung his hammer at Grumblemon with all his might, connecting right in the center of Grumblemon's torso and causing Grumblemon's silhouette to be visible with a ring of data around him which Burrowmon hefted his D-Tector to aim at before speaking up.

"And now that the battle is mine, the time has come to purify you once again, Grumblemon! FRACTAL CODE! DIGITIZE!" Burrowmon said as he moved his D-Tector in a cross-pattern to scan the visible ring of data around Grumblemon, once again purifying him and sending his DigiEgg off to be reborn once more. After Grumblemon's DigiEgg flew off, Burrowmon went down on a knee, panting a bit before turning back into Shinya in a flash of data. After Shinya was back to normal, he found himself being clapped on the shoulder in a manly fashion by both Tommy and Takuya, hugged by Zoe and Sorina, and given a curt nod of respect and approval from Kusa which he returned with a smirk.

"That was incredible, Shinya! Well done on your first Spirit Evolution! So assuming Kusa, Sorina and whoever the fourth newbie ends up being also can Spirit Evolve, that's all 10 elements finally on our side as Legendary Warriors!" Takuya said happily as Shinya rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

"It was nothing. I just did what had to be done, that's all." Shinya said sheepishly, making Kusa and Takuya smirk while Sorina chuckled at how embarrassed Shinya was while Tommy just patted Shinya on the shoulder before speaking up.

"Be that as it may, you're a natural at this. But that's to be expected given you're Takuya's little brother. Well whatever, let's keep going. The sooner we can find the rest of the spirits, the better." Tommy said off-handedly, with both Shinya and Takuya nodding agreement while Sorina shrugged. Zoe and Kusa exchanged a skeptical look before the latter spoke up, his tone conveying his feelings on the subject being discussed.

"We can do that, but how do we find the rest of the Shrines? We literally lucked onto this one. We don't exactly have a map or a guide to show us the way. Unless Tommy, Takuya or Zoe can remember where they found their spirits before and we can head there." Kusa said with his arms crossed as his face sported a contemplative look. Shinya nodded his agreement as he spoke up at that point, looking at Tommy encouragingly as he spoke.

"That's true. But I'm sure we'll sort something out soon enough to find the rest of the Spirits and maybe even the rest of the Wielders soon enough. For now though, I suppose we should keep walking and see if we can figure anything out since it beats standing around." Shinya said, drawing nods from the rest of the group as they kept walking, hoping to find some clue as to where they should go next...

(Back at the Shrine of Darkness with Koichi, Lumine and Koji, neutral POV)

"How long is this hallway, Sangloupmon? You didn't say how long it was?" Koichi asked Sangloupmon who smiled before speaking up.

"Not much farther now, we're about halfway through the hallway. Just be patient Koichi. We'll get there soon enough." Sangloupmon said as Koichi. Koichi nodded as the two kept walking. Unbeknownst to either of them, they weren't alone. As they started reaching the edge of the hallway, Sangloupmon suddenly tensed.

"Koichi! Hurry up and run ahead to the Spirit of Darkness! I sense we're not alone! I'll hold whoever it is off! Now go!" Sangloupmon said as Koichi nodded and darted off, D-Tector in hand as he raced ahead to get his Spirit. Had he waited much longer, he'd have seen an ominous looking mist spreading out before colliding right into Sangloupmon who swayed back and forth a bit before his eyes narrowed and turned a bit red, as he turned to face Koichi who was holding out his D-Tector towards the Spirit of Darkness, as it eventually slid into his D-Tector and a familiar voice could be heard speaking up.

"It is time!" Koichi heard in his D-Tector as the screen cut to him holding his hand up in slow motion as a ring of data appeared over it, and he swiped it over his D-Tector.

"EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!" Koichi called out as he began his transformation into the Warrior of Darkness. He gained a lion-esque helmet, spiky shoulder pads, black and yellow armor and a lance and shield. After he finished transforming, he landed on the platform with a flip, declaring his name for all present to hear.

"HA! HEH-HEH! LOWEEMON!" The now-named Loweemon said as he finished his Spirit Evolution, landing in front of the crazed Sangloupmon, confused by how aggressive he was acting. Koichi then frowned at this before speaking up in an uncertain tone.

"Sangloupmon? Are you okay?! What's wrong with you?!" Loweemon said, not seeing the gator fleeing the area behind him with what looked to be a black fluffy stuffed animal with horns settled on its back. Sangloupmon snarled at Loweemon before speaking up.

"Must destroy Warrior of Darkness! Prepare to fight!" Sangloupmon said before Loweemon reluctantly pulled a lance out and stared down Sangloupmon.

"I don't want to, but if that's how you want it, I have no choice! Bring it on!" Loweemon said sadly. Unbeknownst to him, Koji and Lumine had followed them down the hall and were watching the fight from a safe distance, both shocked at what they'd seen. Loweemon then stared down Sangloupmon.

"Let's do this, Sangloupmon!" Loweemon said challengingly as he brandished his lance. Sangloupmon nodded.

"I agree. Have a taste of this! STICKER BLADE!" Sangloupmon said as he fired a bunch of projectiles at Loweemon, Koji's eyes going wide as he quickly pulled Lumine gently out of the way to avoid a few stray projectiles that flew past Loweemon towards them. Lumine blinked at this before turning pink and smiling gratefully at Koji as she hugged him, then surprised both him and herself by subconsciously giving him a quick and chaste peck on the cheek before she could think better of it and then speaking up trying not to think about what she just did.

"That was close. Thanks, Koji." Lumine said shyly as Koji nodded, his face as red as Lumine's, before speaking up quietly so they weren't heard by the battlers.

"You're welcome, Lumine. Now let's watch the battle from here." Koji said firmly and Lumine nodded, leaning against Koji slightly to get comfortable as she settled in to watch the battle, not seeing Koji go slightly red from their closeness even as he focused on the fight between Loweemon and Sangloupmon.

"Nice try, but now it's my turn! SHADOW LANCE!" Loweemon said as he thrusted his lance towards Sangloupmon who dodged out of the way before Loweemon leapt up and charged up a beam in his chest before flexing as he fired it.

"How about this?! SHADOW METEOR!" Loweemon said as he fired a meteor-shaped beam which hit Sangloupmon head-on, stunning him long enough for Loweemon to heft his lance once more as he stared down Sangloupmon before speaking up once more.

"Time to end this! SHADOW LANCE!" Loweemon said as he charged forward, clashing weapons with Sangloupmon, both fighters landing on the ground, but where Loweemon was unfazed, Sangloupmon staggered a bit before slumping over and becoming a silhouette, Fractal Code surrounding him. Loweemon hefted his D-Tector once more.

"Time to be purified, Sangloupmon! FRACTAL CODE, DIGITIZE!" Loweemon said as he scanned the Fractal Code surrounding Sangloupmon, reverting him into a DigiEgg which flew off into the distance. After the DigiEgg flew off, Loweemon then turned back into Koichi in a flash of data. After Koichi was back to normal he heard Koji and Lumine race up to him, the former clapping Koichi on his shoulder in a manly fashion while the latter quickly pulled Koichi into a brief hug before pulling away after a moment.

"Koichi, that was amazing! I didn't think you'd be that quick to re-acclimate to Spirit Evolving!" Koji said in awe and pride.

"So that's what Spirit Evolving looks like...I think I see why you said it'd take some getting used to before it can be appreciated, Koji. But I'm also a bit excited to see what I end up Spirit Evolving into if it's as epic as Koichi's Spirit Evolution ended up being. Yours is likely much much better though, Koji." Lumine said, going a bit pink partway into her remark as she saw Koji blinking at her in confusion which led her to use the second half of her remark to reassure him. Koji simply nodded his acknowledgement of Lumine's words. Koichi then spoke up before Koji could answer Lumine, though.

"Thank you both. I appreciate the praise. But I think we should get out of here in case whatever did that to Sangloupmon is still here and tries to get one of us next." Koichi said simply, making Koji nod his agreement, followed seconds later by Lumine. The three then left the Shrine of Darkness, none of them seeing the gator observing them from a distance, the furry stuffed animal with horns dozing contentedly on its back as it watched the trio leave, slinking off to report its findings to its associates.

Outside of the Shrine of Darkness, Koji turned to Koichi and spoke up with an uncertain frown on his face.

"Well, now that we've found your spirit of Darkness, where should we head next? Clearly we have to find the Spirits of Light, Water and Thunder, not to mention find Takuya and the others so we can bring the group back together." Koji said to Koichi who nodded. Lumine frowned before speaking up uncertainly.

"Are we going to be able to figure out where to find any of that though, Koji? Granted, Koichi found his spirit, but we don't have so much as a clue as to where we'd find our Spirits, never mind the others you were speaking of. But if you say we can figure it out, I believe you." Lumine said shyly, making Koji smile as he gently patted Lumine on the shoulder reassuringly before speaking up once more, looking into Lumine's eyes briefly as he spoke.

"Relax, Lumine. I'm sure we'll figure something out. Worst case, we'll have to find a map somewhere. Though come to think of it, there's a certain pair of Digimon that we haven't found yet that might run into us with any luck. So I wouldn't say we have no way of finding anything." Koji said cheerfully, making Lumine smile at Koji before nodding as she spoke up, her gaze much softer as she looked at him before speaking up again.

"You're probably right, Koji. I'm just wary by nature, that's all. This is the most time I've spent with friends in a very long time. Usually, JP's over-protective tendencies tend to scare off any would-be friends I might make. So you being so kind and supportive is both very very nice and also very surprising, but in a good way. So thank you Koji. Thank you for being willing to be a good friend." Lumine said shyly as Koji nodded before speaking up.

"You're quite welcome, Lumine. But is now really the time for us to be opening up to one another like this? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind, but I think we have other things to accomplish, such as finding our Spirits. We can get to know each other on the way though, to be sure." Koji said simply, making Lumine nod before Koichi spoke up.

"Are we going to keep moving, or should I go scout ahead so you two can be alone together?" Koichi joked, playfully winking at Koji who flushed a bit but glared at Koichi.

"First of all, that wasn't a funny joke Koichi! Secondly, yes we are going to keep moving. And another thing, Lumine and I are just friends for now. Maybe down the line, we'll find we like each other as more than friends, but we've literally just met so we're in no hurry to rush into anything. So knock off the suggestive comments." Koji said huffily, making Lumine giggle at the look on Koji's face before she spoke up.

"Oh Koji, you're so funny. But yes, I agree we do have to keep moving. We won't find the Spirits just standing around. And Koichi? If we want you to give us private time, we'll ask, but otherwise keep that sort of humor to yourself." Lumine said bluntly, frowning at Koichi's teasing remark to Koji, making Koichi rub the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke up once more.

"Fair enough, you're quite right, Lumine. I suppose we should keep going. My apologies." Koichi said, getting satisfied nods from Koji and Lumine as the three kept going...

"Wow, who saw THAT coming?! Both Shinya AND Koichi found their spirits already! At this pace, it won't take the group long to find their Spirits! Can the group keep up the pace its' on, and will the two groups meet up and become one big group? To find out, keep on watching Digimon! Digital Monsters!" The narrator said as they did the outro for the episode...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Wow, that was longer than I planned on it being. But that's what happens with long introductions like this! Either way, that's the first chapter done and dusted already! Very nice. And just to clarify real quick, NO the fact that there was quite a few cheek kisses in the first chapter does not mean I'm rushing the pairings. It was just mostly kneejerk reactions that were done in gratitude.

That aside, as you can probably guess by the fact that this chapter is up, it means that this got enough votes on the poll that recently ended (as of the day I type out this end-chapter A/N, the poll is targeted to end at the end of the day and the poll sits at a 1-1-1-1 tie for most voted with this story and 3 others, one of which I have a TON of other chapters backlogged for) that I could finally post this chapter. Mind you, I have at least one other chapter backlogged for this story as well, with another in the process of being typed out so yeah that's a thing.

Having said that, hopefully I did the characters enough justice (and YES I know I probably botched Grumblemon's speech patterns horribly in his fight with Shinya/Burrowmon, but I'm working with the operative assumption that when the Celestial Digimon revived the Fallen Warriors, they corrected Grumblemon's broken speech patterns so he could be more easily understood.) even if I probably got one or two of them a bit OOC without meaning to, and if so I apologize and intend to try and fix it in coming chapters.

However, keep in mind that this story is set five years after the end of the original Digimon Frontier, so some of the characters aren't children anymore but rather early in their teen years, and some (like JP and to a point Kusa) are closer to adult age but still in their teen years so that will likely come with a slight change in personalities and character quirks in most cases. That being said, hope you enjoy the first chapter of this story and until next update, sithlorde1988 out!